Addiction

The story in this novel centers on the consul's alcohol addiction. It appears to be a problem he struggles with for years on end. In fact, the author insinuates that the addiction causes Yvonne to leave him one year prior to the novel's beginning. As often happens with addiction, this loss fails to motivate the consul to stop drinking. Instead, as Laruelle points out, the consul's drinking worsens.

Another point that the author makes about addiction in this novel is that it does not hurt only the one suffering from the addiction. The consul's drinking saddens everyone around him. Even the town's doctor despairs that he can no longer offer aid. His only advice is, ironically, that the consul drinks in moderation to calm his nerves, which suffer greatly from withdrawal.

More than anyone else, the addiction hurts Yvonne. It causes her to move from her home for...